“Gold seal, stamped, done. Big, giant approval. Gift-wrapped-with-a-shiny-bow approval. Oh, but… Sally and Derrick, and Marco’s sister. They’d want to be there for a wedding.”
“It must wait, I think, for the after, as you call it. It would be best. To have the vows said both in Talamh and in this world.”
“Marco gets two weddings?”
After throwing her arms around Brian, she stepped back to dance in place.
“Okay, that just tops everything. If anybody deserves it twice, it’s Marco. Damn it, why didn’t I ever learn to do a cartwheel? I’m doing many brilliantly executed mental cartwheels right now.”
“You fill my heart, Breen Siobhan,” Brian murmured.
“Two weddings for Marco! And meanwhile, you’ll be pledged. I know how much that means to the Fey. And I can promise it’ll mean everything to Marco.”
“And you a bridge, again, Breen Siobhan, who’ll be with us for both.”
“You bet your ass. I’m so happy.” Giddy, she waved her hands inthe air. “Okay, crap. He’s going to see that, but I can say the book’s going really well and keeping me way up there. Tell me you’re doing this soon so I don’t explode.”
“I need to ask the taoiseach for the time. Marco won’t fly on my Hero. When I tried to convince him, he said…”
Brian cocked his head and spouted an American accent, close enough to Marco’s to make her laugh.
“Dude! I love you down to my balls, but that’s one big negativo. As in no way and no how.”
“You’ve got him, all right.”
“And intend to keep him. So a day to ride there, a day to ride back, and two days at my family home. But we worry about leaving you so much alone here.”
“Dude.” And made him laugh in turn. “I lived here alone most of last summer and was just fine. Get the time and go.”
Then she pressed her fingers to her teary eyes. “Brian, I’ve known Marco since we were kids. He’s a romantic down to the core. All he’s ever wanted was to love and be loved. He has that with you. Get the time and go.”
“I’ll speak to Keegan when he comes back from the Capital. I have to go, take my duty.”
“You started my morning off with a bang. And that’s a good thing.” She took the mug back. “I’ll see you later. And…”
Once again, she zipped her lips. Then called to Bollocks to start the rest of her morning.
She kept those lips zipped, though it took a lot of willpower. Keeping busy helped, so she added more hours writing in the evenings while Keegan saw to his duties at the Capital.
When Mahon returned three days later without Keegan, she struggled against impatience. The sooner he came back to the valley, the sooner Brian would ask for the time.
And the sooner she could unzip her lips with a shout of congratulations.
But duty remained duty and another three days passed.
Seamus showed her how to plant seeds in holding beds to give them a head start on spring. Morena gave her hawking lessons, which Marco studiously avoided, and with Marg she practiced the craft religiously.
If more visions remained elusive, she didn’t complain. As long as the curtain and the boundaries held, she could prepare, she could get better, stronger, smarter.
On a fine afternoon when the rain held off and the temperatures crept up, she rode with Marco. He rode a new mount, a pretty young pinto mare with black-and-white markings and a high-stepping gait that Marco claimed said spunk right out loud.
“Harken calls her Álainn because it means pretty, and she sure is.”
“And she knows it. Right now she’s thinking she looks even prettier with you in the saddle.”
“For real? What do you think?” Lifting his chin, he struck a pose. “Do we look lit or what?”
“You do. She’s a good size for you, and as long as you understand she expects to be pleased as much as please, you’ll do fine.”